BPW Board wants fluoridation put to vote

By Joelyn Hansen/Daily Sun staff writer
Thursday, Jul 17, 2008 - 09:38:37 am CDT

Beatrice residents could be voting in the November election on whether their water should be fluoridated.

The Board of Public Works Board is recommending that the Beatrice City Council allow local residents to vote in the November election on whether or not fluoride should be added to the city’s drinking water.

The Nebraska Legislature passed LB245 that requires fluoride to be added by June 1, 2010, to drinking water in cities and towns with populations of more than 1,000, Neil Niedfelt, BPW general manager and city administrator, reported to the board on Wednesday.

Under state law, cities and towns would be able to opt out of the law if residents vote it down in an election or if there is enough natural-occurring fluoride already in the water supply.

Most of Nebraska’s population ” more than 942,000 people ” is served by 65 public water systems that add fluoride to water. Forty-one systems are naturally fluoridated.

But 64 Nebraska communities with more than 1,000 people, including Beatrice, don’t add fluoride or have enough naturally occurring.

Beatrice water has a natural fluoridation of .25, but it is not enough to meet the recommended level set by LB245.

If the city were to fluoridate, residential water customers would see an increase of about 25 cents on their monthly bill, Water Superintendent Steve Kelley said. Commercial customers would see about a $1.50 increase each month.

The BPW would likely have to spend about $88,000 to purchase and install equipment and build a building to fluoridate, Kelley said. It would then cost around $15,000 a year to fluoridate.

Kelley’s recommended to the BPW Board that the fluoridation issue be placed on the November ballot.

Beatrice once fluoridated its water from April 17, 1950, to Nov. 23, 1954, as recommended by the Gage County Dental Association. Fluoridation stopped in 1954 after a petition was circulated in the community and the issue was placed on the ballot, Kelley said. The vote was 2-1 to have fluoridation of the water stopped. The measure was later placed on the ballot two or three times and was defeated each time.

Board member Bob Moran noted that there was negative and positive information about fluoridation. He agreed that it should be placed on the ballot.

“Let the town decide whether they want the fluoride in their water,” he said.

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Me
Jul 17, 2008 10:27 AM
Hey, the elephant died. Enough with the floride. How many times are they going to try to get this run through?
No, nada, not, denada, non,NO!
Cheaper fluoride
Jul 17, 2008 7:44 PM
Great now the BPW bill will go up! You know, you can get a script from your dentist for fluoride tablets for your kids that cost about $4 for 3 months worth, that is much cheaper than I'm sure our bill will be if this passes. And yes I am a reader that always has something negative to say. There is enough crap going on in this city ( the world for that matter)that people need to speak up, and give their opinions.
nyscof
Jul 18, 2008 6:27 AM
People in America are dying from untreated tooth decay. It's not a fluoride-deficiency that's the problem. 80% of dentists refuse Medicaid patients and 108 million Americans lack dental insurance.

Whenever there's a free dental care day, the turnout looks like a third world country.

Organized dentistry fears the legislators will do the right thing and mandate that dentists treat more Mediciad patients and lower prices for those paying out of pocket. So dental associations and their lobbiests show up at the state legislatures, where their money and power is most influential, and get fluoridation mandate laws passed to give the illusion that organized dentistry truly cares about people and not their growing bank accounts.

Fluoridation solves no problems. However, allowing Dental Therapists to work in the US is a solution. They are three year trained individuals who have worked for decades in developed countries as effectively but more cheaply than dentists. The first ones are doing a great job in Alaska

But organized dentistry lobbies extensively against them. In fact, the American Dental Associatin spent $1 million unsuccessfully trying to stop Dental Thereapists in a court of law. Dentists would rather keep throwing fluoride chemicals into all of us than make sure every American can get dental care if that care comes from someone other than a dentist.

Now every little city in Nebraska is forced to hold costly referendums to say no, yet again. I'm sure the Nebraska Dental Association, probably backed by the American Dental Association never wanted the opt-out clause.

It's time to mandate that dentists treat more Americans or get out of the way and allow other viable groups to do the job.

Enough with the fluoride!
Larry
Jul 18, 2008 9:05 AM
there is plenty of evidence that fluoride helps when properly used. These conspiracy theories of dentists wanting to take over the world is getting old.

"It's time to mandate that dentists treat more Americans or get out of the way and allow other viable groups to do the job." This quote smacks f Socialism. THis is unAmerican.
Let your vote speak for you.
ann
Jul 19, 2008 10:52 AM
I'm glad Beatrice residents may have a chance to vote on whether they want the chemical fluoride added to water supplies. The fluoride used for water fluoridation is fluorosilicic acid - toxic waste from phosphate fertiliser factory chimneys. It's more poisonous than lead and only slightly less so than arsenic. The fluoride used in water isn't pharmaceutical grade, and is a registered poison.
Fluoride is wasteful as less than 1% of the water supply is drunk by children. Most water is used by industry and for washing and toilet flushing.
Studies show that fluoride can cause cancer & hip fractures. Fluoride can cause fluorosis - permanent unsightly mottling of children's teeth. Teeth need a healthy diet,correct cleaning, and adequate calcium, magnesium and vitamin D which benefits health too.
Citizen
Jul 22, 2008 10:46 AM
Judging by most comments on this site, I don't see how taking it to a vote of the people is a good idea. Pretty sure they would vote against ANYTHING that will cost them a penny of their "hard earned" cash.
Yahoooo
Jul 22, 2008 11:45 AM
The BPW and the city council will allow us to vote on spending our money! Imagine that! I for one dont want anymore chemicals in my water than are already there. I can provide my own fluoride thank you very much. I think we as Americans should be able to handle that without the gosh darn government!!!
Get the facts
Jul 22, 2008 2:01 PM
Hey there cheaper flouride, please get your facts straight. The City is not pushing for floridation it is mandated by State Law that floridation take place unless voted down by the people. The council simply voted to put it on the upcoming ballot. Exercise your right to vote and consider being part of the solution rather than negative part of the problem.
btownie
Jul 23, 2008 9:39 AM
Hey whats the difference, most kids think that water comes out of a bottle from the store. Although now that being green is cool, my kids think that re-usable bottles are great. What they don't know is that I was refilling them all along.

Most bottled water does not have floride.
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